The major development to increase grain storage facilities at Kernow Grain near Bodmin will be ready time for harvest, with completion expected by the end of August.
Kernow Grain began the work to install four new grain silos, each with 1,000 tonnes capacity, in April after receiving a grant of almost £380k from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).
The additional four silos will increase the storage facility by 30% and will also see the grain drying capacity doubled to eighty tonnes per hour throughput.
At present Kernow Grain Ltd is working to full capacity, handling 14,000 tonnes of grain and oil seed each year. The development will help growth in existing and new markets. Of the 4,000 tonnes of storage space being created, 2,000 tonnes will be used to process existing allocations and the other 2,000 is available to meet increased demand and to provide facilities to farmers interested in joining to co-operative.
Kernow Grain Ltd is a 70-member, grain farmers’ co-operative which started in 1997. The business was set up to provide drying and storage facilities to arable farmers in Cornwall and Devon, to enable them to store and process grain centrally.
Jeremy Oatey, chairman, of Kernow Grain Ltd said: “This is a major development for Kernow Grain and securing the funding from RDPE has enabled up to grow the business in a way that directly benefits our members. It shows we are committed to delivering the very best products to our customers and that we want to grow the business in a responsible and effective way.”
The RDPE grant will contribute half the cost of creating additional reception and storage bins and enhanced laboratory facilities with the additional funding from the co-operative.
